Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-09-13
THE BLOODY WORK.
INFORMAL INQUIRY INTO TIE RIOT
AT NIrcHELsrows.
The iffsir Described by Mr.. Labouchers-
The Discussion in the House Of
Commons Last Evening.
by Anelo-American cable to the DIspatch.I


barracks, and visited the wounded. No
less than twenty police were actually
injured, and only one seriously. Mr..
Drummer says he saw a dozen
COnstables attack one man with
their batons. The man felled three
Of them with a blackthorn stick.
He also saw policeman pierce a
horse with his bayonet, while another
constable thrust his bayonet into the
rider. An Independent eyewitness
relates that when the first blow was
struck it wes impossible to control the
1ipperary men, VINO attacked the pc
lice like furies. The air was thick
with sticks, but before the police
reached their barracks their anger had
cooled. The people made no attempt
to reach the barracks. Six panes OF
glass in the barracks were broken from
inside. The walls bear evidence of q
fusilade Of stones. The lower half of
the door was broken, and there are
many bullet-marks on the walls OppO-
site.
Mr.. Labouchere, in long letter de-
scribiDg the affair at Mitchelstown, says
when he entered the barracks he found
that the police had dragged two men
inside and were beating them with
bludgcons as they lay face downwards.
Mr. Dillon had the greatest difficulty
in preventing the chief constable from
rushing out of the barracks with his
mon and firing right and left. All were
in a state of the greatest excitement.
there were but few people AROUND the
barracks, and the police were perfectly
safe. 1t is remarkable that a carman
killed had on the previous day refused
his vehicle to the police.
Mr.. Labou,here says that never in
his life did he come across 80 offensive
q specimen Of an official with as brute
force at his back as at his head. Two
men more unfit for delicate duties
could not bc found on the globe than
CoIstablos Browning and Seagrave, a
weak creature who loses his head, and
Brownrigg, a bully, in whose eyes all
vcnturing to look askance at him ought
to be shot. They are responsible for
the deaths that occurred.
THE MATTER DISCUSSED IL COMMONS.
In the House of Commons this after
noon, on a motion that the House go
into committee on the appropriation
bill. Sir William Vernon HarcOurt
Hiberal) called attention to the general
pOlicv of the Government in Ireland,
especially to the invasion of the rights
Of the people respecting the holding of
public meetings. He demanded that
the House he informed of the nature of
the instructions given to the police in
ireland regarding the line of action
they are to pursue with respect to public
meetings: also, whether the report was
true that General Sir Redyers Butler
had resigned hlspostOf Understanding
for Ireland, and what were the reasons
fer bis resignation. BE claimed that the
Irish people possessed in common with
the English people the right to meet
and denounce the action of the legisla-
tive branch of the Government, aud
declared that attempts to prevent the
holding of such meetings violated COM
mon law and the Constitution, and
were n fragrant breach and denial of
the fundamental principles of both,
and were wholly incompatible with the
existence of free government or the
rights of free people. Some Tory
journals had suggested that machine
guns ought TO be used against the Irish
people. Cries of "What paper ?"l
1.-THE 81. James Gdzctte, answered
the speaker, adding, "a typical Tory
organ. The most detestable and scan
dalous language has been used by the
7Gmcs," Sir William went on, for the
express purpose of driving the Irish to
revolt-language such as never before
degraded the press OF free country.
If the advice OF the UniOnist press had
been followed, what between machine
Guns, evictions. and Tory landlords
soon very few Irish people would be
left" lie was confident, he said, that
the Irish people would persist in
the prudence and calmneSs they had
already exhibited. If anything was
dear to tho English it was the right of
public meeting which the Government
was now trampling on. Let the Gov
ornmenttry the experiment of their new
doctrine upon the people OF England !;
the country would make short work OF
them. The heart of England was with
the irish in indicating the right OF
public meeting, and would support
them until justice was done. Meetings
must continue to be held in all parts OF
ireland. IParnellite cheers If there
was one lesson in the history OF politics
which was taught more than another 1t
was that a cause which could not bear
open discussion was already lost.
ICheers.l The Governments dread OF
public meetings would seal the doom
Of their Irish policy.
Mr.. Baliour, replying to Sir Har-
court, said the instructions the police
were now acting under were the same
they had received when Sir HarcOurt
was a member of the Gladstone Govern
ment. 1Cheers. With regard to Cen
eral Butler, Mr.. Balfour said he had
always been in perfect harmony with
the present Government. His appoint
ment as Understanding for ireland
was only temporary, and he resigned
now simply because he desired not to
delay his return to the War Office.
TCries of "Ohl Oh " from the Par
nellites. If any one supposed that
Buffers retirement was due in the
slightest degree to difference of opln-
ion with him (BalfOur) the suppositlon
was absolutely false. Referring to Sir
Harcourt's contention that the suppress
sion of public meetings was illegal, Mr.
Balfour said thathe did not know at what
period Sir William lost his knowledge
of law, but it was matter OF history
that under the common law of Ireland
Sir William himself acted with Glad
stone and Forster in proclalming l3O
meetings. Cheers. TWAS again and
again asserted when those meetings
were proclaimed that the act OF lSS2
did not contain any new powers. The
question really was not whether the
Governments action was legal, but
whether it was polite. An important
element to consider was the condition oil
the district of Ennis, notorious centre
of aorarian crime. 1t was absurd to
describe such meetings as being for
free discussion. They were heralded
by placards of an inhammatory nature,
and it was obviously their object TO de
feat law and foster outrages and lntlmi'